By Graham Davis

LCDR Donna Muller of HMAS Labuan gets some quality time in with her four-year-old daughter Laura.

Photo: PO Kev Bristow

At seven o’clock each Saturday or Sunday night for three months, four-year-old Laura Muller sat close to the telephone in her grandparent’s Canberra home.

This was the time and the night her mother, LCDR Donna Muller, would call her.

LCDR Muller is the commanding officer of the heavy landing craft HMAS Labuan.

Based in Cairns, the ship was one of several RAN vessels called to participate in Operation Anode, the operation involving Australia, New Zealand and several other island nations to bring an end to lawlessness in the Solomon Islands.

As such LCDR Muller became the first mother to command an Australian warship in an operation.

(The first woman to command an RAN ship in an operation was LCDR Jan Noonan who took Labuan to East Timor during the early stages of that operation).

LCDR Muller’s husband, LEUT Stuart Muller is currently doing a PWO course with the result that for the last three months, their daughter Laura has been in the care of Donna’s Canberra parents, Greg and Jenny Hajek.

“Once a week...generally at seven on Saturdays or Sundays I would call Laura and talk for between 15 and 20 minutes,” LCDR Muller said.

For LCDR Muller, promotion to command was one of the highlights of her career.

An ADFA graduate and member of the RAN for 13 years, the 31-year-old mum was given command on July 7.
“Two weeks later I was on my way to the Solomons.”

Her executive officer SBLT Danielle Radnidge was in the “same boat” also joining the ship just two weeks before deployment.

LCDR Muller admits she faced the operation with some trepidation.

“Fortunately I had a very experienced ship’s company,” she said.

“To be honest taking command and going to the Solomons was my greatest experience.

“It was amazing. I never thought I would be doing what I did.

“I had a lot of faith in my ship’s company.”

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